


The Treehouse

by ohnoanotheroneofthese (MyOldFics)



Category: Pierce the Veil
Genre: Alcohol, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, I don't know how to tag this, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 09:24:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12702015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOldFics/pseuds/ohnoanotheroneofthese
Summary: When they turned to the right street, Tony could hear the music. As they walked closer to Jaime’s house, it was clear that the music was coming from there. They walked past the house, going to the back undetected. On the backyard was an old oak, a thick trunk that spread out into wide branches. On top of those branches sat a treehouse, a place that was theirs. It had been when they were five and played pirates, and it was now when they were seventeen and needed a place where they would have some privacy.





	The Treehouse

“Mom, I’m going to go out for a bit!” Tony yelled from the front door as he was putting his shoes on.

“At this time?” His mother asked, emerging from the living room where she was watching a movie with Tony’s dad.

“Jaime left his charger here, I’m just going to give it back to him because I know he’ll need it,” Tony explained. “Besides, it’s saturday, it’s not like I have school tomorrow.”

“I know, but be careful,” his mother reminded, always so protective. “I don’t like you being alone out there when it’s dark.”

“I know mom, I’ll be careful,” Tony assured, giving his mother a quick hug to ease her nerves. “I’ll only take the roads that have lights.”

“Okay, be careful!” His mom yelled after him as he stepped outside, starting to head towards his boyfriend’s house that was a few blocks away.

Jaime had been over earlier that evening, and the two had been playing games with their laptops. Being the forgetful person he is, Jaime had left his charger behind. And since Tony knew how much that boy depended on his laptop, he had decided to surprise him by bringing it to him.

Unlike Tony’s mother, Tony loved walking on the streets after dark. The neighborhood was so quiet and calm, only a car or two driving past him. It was also a perfect moment to listen music, so Tony dug his pocket for his headphones, plucking them to his phone, and searched a perfect song for the moment.

After walking for a while, Tony reached a park. Despite what he had told his mother, he crossed the road to get to the dark park. He knew it probably wasn’t the safest route to take, but it made the trip at least ten minutes shorter. Maybe Tony was too confident, thinking that nothing bad would ever happen to him, but it was worth the risk.

The park was small, it had some grass that fit well for playing soccer, a small pond and some trees and other greenery to make it prettier. It also had a small playground with a slide, a sandbox, and a set of swings. To make it to Jaime’s house, Tony had to walk past the playground, and as he neared it, he saw what he thought to be a familiar shape sitting at the old swing, not even swinging properly but instead just swaying lightly.

“Jaime?” Tony asked when he was close enough to recognize that he had been right and the person really was his boyfriend.

Jaime’s shoulders jumped a bit and his head whipped to look at Tony. He looked uncomfortable, and then he spoke. 

“What are you doing here?”

“You forgot your charger,” Tony said and lifted his hand to show it, offering it towards Jaime. “I thought you might need it.”

“Thanks,” Jaime said and took the charger, reaching for his backpack that was leaning against the leg of the swingset to put the charger there. 

Tony sat to the swing next to Jaime’s, kicking the ground so it started to swing a bit, “Why are you here at the park? It’s quite late and dark.”

“I don’t know,” Jaime said, looking at the ground and shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t seem like the happy Jaime that had been hanging out at Tony’s house only half an hour ago. 

Tony didn’t know how to keep the conversation going, or even if Jaime wanted to keep talking, so he sat there quietly, swinging slightly, and waited for Jaime to talk if he wanted. And it didn’t take long before Jaime spoke, lifting his eyes from the ground to look at somewhere far in front of him instead.

“My parents are having a party,” he said.

“One of those with lots of relatives around? Are you here trying to avoid an aunt questioning you about your future?” Tony asked, trying to lighten the situation, and if he didn’t see all wrong, the other side of Jaime’s mouth lifted to a faint smile.

“No, they have their friends around,” Jaime said, the smile disappearing.

“And you don’t want to be there why?” Tony asked. He felt bad for prying but he tried to understand the situation, and why Jaime was being so quiet and down.

Jaime shrugged his shoulders, kicking a big pebble on the ground.

“Do they… hurt you when they’ve drank?” Tony asked carefully. Tony’s family had known Jaime’s since the two were in diapers, and Jaime’s parents were always so nice and friendly. They didn’t seem like the type to do something like that, but then again, there wasn’t really a single type for those people.

“No!” Jaime said quickly, for the first time properly making eye contact with Tony since he’d arrived. “No, they don’t, it’s not like that.”

“Okay, I just needed to ask,” Tony said calmly. “I want you to know that if something like that were to happen, you could always talk to me. And you can talk to me now too, about whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

Jaime let out a sigh, returning his attention to the ground under his sneakers.

“When my parents drink... they get drunk pretty easily. Neither of them hold their liquor that well and if they drink something stronger than beer… Well let’s just say they won't remember much of the night the following morning,” Jaime told Tony. “And my dad, he gets really annoying. He’s embarrassing really, making a fool of himself by getting stupid ideas and following through with them.”

“I never knew,” Tony said, feeling guilty. They had been friends for close to fifteen years, and he never knew something like this was bothering Jaime. 

“Well, it’s not exactly something I like people to know,” Jaime said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You can spend the night at mine if you want to, you don’t need to go home tonight,” Tony offered. “I’m sure my mom will let you.”

“You can’t tell her or your dad,” Jaime said quickly. “Or anyone else for that matter.”

“Relax, I won’t,” Tony assured. “You trusted me with this and I’ll keep it as a secret if you want.”

“Thanks,” Jaime said, smiling a bit and looking at Tony.

“So, a sleepover?” Tony asked, trying to keep the happy mood alive.

“I can’t,” Jaime said, shaking his head but keeping his eyes on Tony. “I need to go home tonight. Just not yet, I don’t want to be there while they’re drinking.”

“Why do you want to go home later, then?” Tony asked, not understanding the difference. “How late is later?”

“Around one am or two am, usually.” Jaime said, looking uncomfortable. “I need to make sure that everything is alright. I need to make sure both of them are safely in the house. I need to make sure the doors are locked. I need to make sure neither of them left the stove on or the shower running.”

“Hey, shh, calm down,” Tony said and reached to place his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. His boyfriend was looking distressed while listing the things he needed to do. “You shouldn’t need to worry about things like that. You shouldn’t need to look after your parents.”

“But I do!” Jaime shouted, standing up from the swing and letting Tony’s hand fall from his shoulder. He started to pace in front of the swingset while Tony stayed sitting on the swing, taken aback by his boyfriends outburst. 

“I need to make sure they’re safe and that nothing bad will happen. They’re my parents and I don’t want anything bad to happen to them,” Jaime continued, obviously stressed, his voice cracking at the end.

“I know,” Tony said, standing up as well and going to hug Jaime, who to Tony’s relief accepted the hug. “I know you don’t.”

They stayed like that for a while. Tony could hear Jaime’s quiet sniffles and shuddering breath beside his ear, but he could also feel him relaxing and calming down slowly.  

“I don’t want you to be alone tonight,” Tony whispered to Jaime’s ear after a while. “Treehouse? And then after the party is over can I spend the night?”

Jaime thought for a moment but then nodded, “Okay,”

“Let’s go,” Tony said and pulled away from the hug, reaching to grab Jaime’s backback and slipping it to his own shoulder. He offered his hand for Jaime who took it, and they started to walk towards Jaime’s house slowly.

It was a calm summer night, the clock nearing midnight by the time they reached Jaime’s street. Tony had sent a text to his mother a while ago, telling that he was going to spend the night at Jaime’s, and had gotten an okay as a response.

When they turned to the right street, Tony could hear the music. As they walked closer to Jaime’s house, it was clear that the music was coming from there. They walked past the house, going to the back undetected. On the backyard was an old oak, a thick trunk that spreaded out into wide branches. On top of those branches sat a treehouse, a place that was theirs. It had been when they were five and played pirates, and it was now when they were seventeen and needed a place where they would have some privacy. 

Tony climbed up first, setting Jaime’s backpack down to the floor. The treehouse was designed for kids, so Tony couldn’t stand straight without hitting his head to the ceiling. But it was wide enough for them to sit there comfortably, side by side and their legs outstretched. 

“What do you wanna do?” Tony asked as they had settled to the floor.

“I don’t know,” Jaime said. They could hear the music blaring, not loud enough to recognize words but loud enough to be sure that there was indeed a party going on in the house. There weren’t any lights in the treehouse, but the light from the backyard lamp illuminated the place faintly, enough for Tony to notice that Jaime looked uncomfortable, and maybe even a bit embarrassed as he sat there next to Tony. 

“We could listen music?” Tony suggested, knowing that it usually cheered Jaime up when he was feeling down. That, and the earphones would hopefully drown some of the noise from the party. 

“Okay,” Jaime agreed and took the other headphone from Tony’s offering hand. They put the earphones on, each having one of them, and Jaime watched as Tony pulled up spotify on his phone.

“You can pick the first song,” Tony said and handed his phone to Jaime who did as told. They sat there for a while, talking and alternating turns picking music, and soon Jaime seemed to forget the situation and seemed more and more like the Jaime Tony knew. Tony feöt happy to know that he had been able to cheer Jaime up, but he also felt a small stab at his heart when he thought about how sad and lonely Jaime would have been if Tony didn’t find him tonight. And as Tony thought of that, he also realised that this wasn’t the first time, and he had no idea how often Jaime did spend time alone at that park after midnight.

“What’s on your mind?” Jaime asked as Tony had unintentionally forgotten his turn to pick a song, too focused on his thoughts. 

“Nothing, just spaced out,” Tony said, mustering up a smile. He didn’t want to bring Jaime down now that he was finally acting happy again.

“Okay.” It was clear by the tone of voice that Jaime didn’t buy Tony’s excuse, but Tony was glad that he let it slide.

After a little while they could no longer hear music from the house, and as they turned their own music down and listened closer, they could hear the guests leaving. 

“Let’s stay a little bit longer,” Jaime said. It seemed like he wanted to wait until his parents were asleep before he took Tony to the house. 

“Okay,” Tony said and picked another song, deciding that they might as well spend the rest of the time like that too. 

A few songs later Jaime seemed to decide that now was an okay time to go inside, and they stood up, climbing down from the treehouse and going inside from the unlocked backdoor.

“Can you go to my room and wait for me there?” Jaime asked in whisper as they stepped inside. “I’ll make sure everything is okay and come there. Meanwhile you can pick something comfier to sleep in from my wardrobe.”

“Okay,” Tony agreed, heading upstairs to Jaime’s room, trying not to pay attention to the empty cans and bottles placed around the house. He didn’t see or hear Jaime’s parents anywhere, so it seemed like they were asleep in their bedroom.

Once in Jaime’s bedroom, Tony headed for the wardrobe, picking a pair of sweats from there. He changed out of his jeans, deciding to just keep his own t-shirt on. He climbed into Jaime’s bed, checking his phone while he waited for Jaime to join him.

It took about fifteen minutes until the door opened and Jaime walked to the room, closing the door behind him. Tony looked up from his phone, he was on the verge of falling asleep but he had been unwilling to do so before Jaime was next to him.

“Everything okay?” Tony asked, unintentionally ending his question with a yawn.

“Yeah,” Jaime said, not elaborating further. He looked exhausted as well. He shrugged his hoodie from his shoulders, letting it slip to the ground, and went to work on the belt and the button of his jeans. He took the jeans off, not bothering with sweats like Tony, but instead crawled under the covers in his boxers and a t-shirt. “Oh shit, the lights.”

Tony chuckled lightly as Jaime reluctantly climbed from the bed, walking to the lightswitch that was located next to the door and flicked it, plunging the room to darkness. Tony unlocked his phone again, its glow giving Jaime a bit of help to find his way back to the bed.

Once in bed - this time for good - Jaime scooted closer to Tony, who had placed his phone back on the nightstand. It had been a long night and both of them were practically a heartbeat away from falling asleep.

“Hey Jaime?” Tony asked quietly, getting a low hum as a reply.

“You know you can talk to me about things like this, right?” Tony felt like he had to say it. He wanted Jaime to know that he wouldn’t judge, and that Jaime could come to him with anything. Tony would always be ready to listen. 

“”I know.” The reply was short and quiet, but the kiss to Tony’s cheek that accompanied it made Tony feel like Jaime understood, and that he appreciated Tony’s concern..

“Goodnight,” Jaime whispered.

“Night,” Tony said back. This evening had not turned out like he had been expecting it to, but a part of him was glad that Jaime had forgotten his charger tonight. It had led to him finding out more about Jaime. And while he found it sad how Jaime had to feel responsible for his parents, he was so happy Jaime had told him about it. Tony would make sure that Jaime never had to worry about it alone./*****

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of fics show drunk parents as violent or angry in some other way. I wanted to write another side of it, and show that there doesn’t need to be violence or mean words for it to be harmful


End file.
